Mail Station Problems

[ankeny]

This Christmas (2016) I mailed from my village mail station two Christmas cards with cash inside (Never mail cash) to family members located in different Cities. The cards were never delivered. Four weeks later in a conversation with a neighbor we somehow got on the subject of mail in The Villages and she told me that at Christmas (2016) she mailed four cards to the same address two with gift cards and two without. The Two without gift cards made it to the destination the two with gift cards never arrived. This seemed odd so I called the Postal Service Fraud division to report my missing mail they opened a case and told me that they would investigate. After three days I received a response that surprised me and I wanted to share what I was told with other Villagers.


1) The Village mail station are not secure locations and many people have keys to access anytime day or night.

2) The delivery people are not Postal employee’s just contractors.

3) No one monitor these location they are not the responsible of the Postal Service.

4) Since they are not the responsible of the Postal Service there is nothing that can be done to keep this from happening again

5) I was told by the case worker that I should never use the mail drops at The Village mail stations and only deposit mail at actual post office.

I am sure the majority of the contractors that handle our mail here in the villages are honest hard work people but it only takes one maybe extra Christmas help to destroy our trust in the system. I know I have learned a lessons and hope by sharing this it may save someone else from making the same mistake.

Also if you sent cash or gift card this Christmas (2016) that never got delivered please response to this thread.

[janewk]

That is very interesting and something I was totally unaware of. Thank you so much for sharing.

[DeanFL]

Yikes! Thanks for the heads-up on this. Hmm, don't remember if we put some envelopes with Xmas gift cards in there or at the PO.
Forewarned is forearmed. I was going to ask which TV mail station this was - but doesn't really matter; apparently this applies to any/all.
Appreciate your notification on this...

[Bay Kid]

The United States Postal Service... we should feel secure using government services....

[valuemkt]

I can understand the "architectural" reasons for not having mailboxes in front of each home, but I don't understand the lack of US mailboxes in commercial areas .. whether it be squares or shopping centers.. It certainly would not be an eyesore to have a box outside a Winn Dixie or a PUBLIX .. The trip to a Post Office to mail a letter is near pilgrimage .. There must be a logical reason why this can;t happen ?

Regarding the Post Office response on contractors .. Who hires the contractors ? If the Post Office hires them, then they shouldbe responsible for vetting the people, and bonding them, or insuring they are bonded .. If many people have access to the mail area, then perhaps they need to be upgraded with individual key cards ..
Or, perhaps the repositories need to be secure boxes only capable of being opened by Post Office personnel . All probably expensive solutions to a one per cent problem ,

But back to the original question .. A city of 120,00 tax paying citizens that don;t have basic US Post Office Service ..
What gives ?

[ankeny]

What I suggested to the mail inspector I talk to on the phone was the Postal Service need to do two things, First install video monitoring equipment inside each station and second put a sign on the outside mail drop box to tell people that they are putting mail in an unsecured mail drop.

[Bogie Shooter]

I can understand the "architectural" reasons for not having mailboxes in front of each home, but I don't understand the lack of US mailboxes in commercial areas .. whether it be squares or shopping centers.. It certainly would not be an eyesore to have a box outside a Winn Dixie or a PUBLIX .. The trip to a Post Office to mail a letter is near pilgrimage .. There must be a logical reason why this can;t happen ?

Regarding the Post Office response on contractors .. Who hires the contractors ? If the Post Office hires them, then they shouldbe responsible for vetting the people, and bonding them, or insuring they are bonded .. If many people have access to the mail area, then perhaps they need to be upgraded with individual key cards ..
Or, perhaps the repositories need to be secure boxes only capable of being opened by Post Office personnel . All probably expensive solutions to a one per cent problem ,

But back to the original question .. A city of 120,00 tax paying citizens that don;t have basic US Post Office Service ..
What gives ?

You should check with the local postmaster. It has nothing to do with TV.
The postmaster likely will tell you there is no $ for this additional service.
There fore you need to contact your Representative or Senator. BTW they continue to cut the USPS budget each year.

"only capable of being opened by Post Office personnel"
Now an employee will have to be hired to drive around all the stations in TV and pick up deposited mail.....really?

[Bogie Shooter]

This Christmas (2016) I mailed from my village mail station two Christmas cards with cash inside (Never mail cash) to family members located in different Cities. The cards were never delivered. Four weeks later in a conversation with a neighbor we somehow got on the subject of mail in The Villages and she told me that at Christmas (2016) she mailed four cards to the same address two with gift cards and two without. The Two without gift cards made it to the destination the two with gift cards never arrived. This seemed odd so I called the Postal Service Fraud division to report my missing mail they opened a case and told me that they would investigate. After three days I received a response that surprised me and I wanted to share what I was told with other Villagers.


1) The Village mail station are not secure locations and many people have keys to access anytime day or night.

2) The delivery people are not Postal employee’s just contractors.

3) No one monitor these location they are not the responsible of the Postal Service.

4) Since they are not the responsible of the Postal Service there is nothing that can be done to keep this from happening again

5) I was told by the case worker that I should never use the mail drops at The Village mail stations and only deposit mail at actual post office.

I am sure the majority of the contractors that handle our mail here in the villages are honest hard work people but it only takes one maybe extra Christmas help to destroy our trust in the system. I know I have learned a lessons and hope by sharing this it may save someone else from making the same mistake.

Also if you sent cash or gift card this Christmas (2016) that never got delivered please response to this thread.

How were you able to determine that the cards never left The Villages mail station?

[villagetinker]

Along a similar line, I sent out a check (early December), the person knew it was coming, and let me know about 3 weeks later it never arrived. It turned up 2 weeks later (January) all torn, in a postal envelope. The person told me it looked like the envelope got caught is a machine. I have had occasional problems with 'thick' envelopes (typically birthday cards) that get jammed or rejected. A few years ago, I had cash disappear on the way to my mother (in assisted living), could never prove or figure out where it disappeared, lesson learned.
Going forward, if I am sending something of value, it usually goes FedEx or UPS with tracking, in a cardboard envelope.

[ankeny]

I could not prove it happen in the village mail station, But after talking with the Postal agent in the fraud department I do believe it happen at the mail station. What I wanted this post to do is make readers aware that when they drop a letter in the box at the mail station it is not a secure area and is not the same as taking it to the post office.

[billethkid]

How about we hear some comments from the 99.76547% of the rest of us who have never had a problem and never even heard of an incident?

The isolated incident(s) do not a general condition make!!!

[redwitch]

For those who wonder how the system works here, here's a brief synopsis. USPS asks for bids to run all the stations in TV. The winning bid then gets bids from subcontractors to do the actual work. Both the contractor and subs must pass background checks. The subs are lucky to make minimum wage. hope this helps a little.

Most of the station workers have been at their station for years and are very honest. one very common way for money and gift cards to come up missing is at the point of delivery -- the mail is left in an unsecured mailbox in front of a house. It is very easy for a passerby to open the mailbox, look for birthday/holiday cards and take them. Kids are often the culprits.

[golfing eagles]

How about we hear some comments from the 99.76547% of the rest of us who have never had a problem and never even heard of an incident?

The isolated incident(s) do not a general condition make!!!

Agreed. Our mail person is wonderful, and I've never had a problem with the mail

That being said, two thoughts---

1) Why does anyone but the vetted subcontractors have access to these stations. And if you go mess with one of those nice blue boxes on any street corner, you are looking at time in the federal pen. Why would these substations being different? Isn't it still a crime to interfere with the US Mail?

2) If people have had problems with outgoing mail that had checks or gift cards in them, haven't they also had a problem with INCOMING mail?

[John_W]

How were you able to determine that the cards never left The Villages mail station?

I'm with Bogie, in fact I would be willing to bet these theifs happened on the receiving end, probably from the individual mail box sitting at the end of the driveway. The postal mail stops we have are way safer then the unsecured mail box in front of a home. Especially at Christmas time it's not uncommon to have mail box and UPS and Fedex packages stolen from private homes.

[JoMar]

You do remember the story of the all the mail that was find in a dumpster in Illinois (?)....a postal worker put it there. We have never had an issue with lost mail when put at a mail station. Like VT, we send anything valuable via FedEx. Also, if the drive to the post office is so arduous you can take them to the drop and ships to mail and get a tracking number.....wait, they aren't postal employees either. What to do?

[Barefoot]

How about we hear some comments from the 99.76547% of the rest of us who have never had a problem and never even heard of an incident?
I am totally happy with our mail service here in The Villages.

[Nucky]

There can only be one reason. Newman!

[ColdNoMore]

There can only be one reason. Newman!

:1rotfl:

[twoplanekid]

I have stressed and stressed to our mail lady that my incoming bills are to be placed in my brother’s box and that his revenue checks are to be place in mine to no avail. :)

[Miles42]

When I first moved here in 2014 the very same thing happened to a card and cash I mailed my grandsone. Been mailing cash to them for many years. I get here and gone the first time i did it. I no longer try anything through the mail station of any importance.

[pauld315]

Whether or not the delivery people are direct employees of the USPS or contractors that they hired, the USPS still has responsibility.

[Sandtrap328]

Before making accusations of theft against the people who work at the mail stations, it would be wise to have proof instead of jumping on the "guilty " bandwagon.

Personally, I think it is much more likely that the persons whose family and friends did not receive gift cards or money at Christmas time had the cards stolen at the receiving end.

When I lived in my place "up north", I had a curbside mailbox with a pull down front door on it - facing the street. The mail arrived around 2 pm and no one got home until 6 pm. The street was used as a walkway for school kids in the neighborhood. While I was not mail robbed to my knowledge, it certainly is more of a possibility than a mail station employee on the sending side.

As far as the poster who lost cash he was sending to a family member in a nursing home, I would be looking at their employees before mail station employees.

[rivaridger1]

Federal Crime. Federal Judge. Federal Time. Federal Penitentiary. Some how I just do not see the hard working people in these mail stations risking all they work for to steal a couple of bucks.

[ColdNoMore]

Federal Crime. Federal Judge. Federal Time. Federal Penitentiary. Some how I just do not see the hard working people in these mail stations risking all they work for to steal a couple of bucks.

Sadly, it happens more frequently than one would hope. :(

Internal Mail Theft | USPS Office of Inspector General (https://www.uspsoig.gov/investigations/internal-mail-theft)

During the reporting period from October 2014 through September 2015, OIG special agents conducted 1,607 internal mail theft investigations, resulting in 493 arrests, 1,220 administrative actions, and approximately $478,000 in monetary benefit for the Postal Service.

[justjim]

Sadly, it happens more frequently than one would hope. :(

Internal Mail Theft | USPS Office of Inspector General (https://www.uspsoig.gov/investigations/internal-mail-theft)

It is likely the number of cases "solved" were a "drop in a bucket" to what was stolen. Overall, The former Pony Express does a good job.

You would think The Village Developer would have enough "political clout" to get a Village Post Office. We have been one of the fastest growing areas in the nation. The Villages should have an acceptable Post Office.

[44Apple]

For what it is worth, sent out mailings on Dec 22 to Ohio and on Dec 23 to New York State, neither arrived.

[Henryk]

How about we hear some comments from the 99.76547% of the rest of us who have never had a problem and never even heard of an incident?

The isolated incident(s) do not a general condition make!!!

Not the most intelligent comeback...

[Sandtrap328]

It is likely the number of cases "solved" were a "drop in a bucket" to what was stolen. Overall, The former Pony Express does a good job.

You would think The Village Developer would have enough "political clout" to get a Village Post Office. We have been one of the fastest growing areas in the nation. The Villages should have an acceptable Post Office.

Maybe in order to have an official US Post Office you must be an actual town such as Wildwood, Lady Lake, or Oxford. The Villages takes in parts of 3 different counties and is not an incorporated town.

[billethkid]

It is likely the number of cases "solved" were a "drop in a bucket" to what was stolen. Overall, The former Pony Express does a good job.

You would think The Village Developer would have enough "political clout" to get a Village Post Office. We have been one of the fastest growing areas in the nation. The Villages should have an acceptable Post Office.

It is more an issue of practicality.
How far does anyone have to drive to get to the closest PO?
How many PO would they have to open in TV to make everybody happy?
Make everybody happy? Every regional rec center could have a PO and there would still be issues presented by those who would have to drive 3.7639867 minutes further than somebody else.

There are plenty of options with the current PO locations around TV.

[champion6]

Maybe in order to have an official US Post Office you must be an actual town such as Wildwood, Lady Lake, or Oxford. The Villages takes in parts of 3 different counties and is not an incorporated town.Nope. For example, Oxford is unincorporated and has a post office and a ZIP Code.

[DeanFL]

Just my 2 cents. This Thread is yet another example why some folks may not want to post or reply on this or some other forums.

IMO the OP posted a heads-up info laden posting re a possible issue affecting many of us. Not threatening nor angry. Yet some of the responses were just that. And some of the responders same to other responders.

Seems as tho someone could post "it's such a beautiful day in TV!", and some may respond "are you blind? there's a cloud in the sky!". Or "It's OK out but I saw some dog poop just now."

We're all human (I think), and have differing opinions. But to not be civil, and appreciate other's thoughts and strike out personally gets old.

Seems as tho some folks sit at their keyboard and simply MUST argue. My point is NOT to argue, but provide my point of view.

[VillagerNut]

I have been told that the developer has volunteered to build a post office within The Villages and has been turned down numerous times by the United States post office. The reason is they do not have the money to staff the new post office. Even though the developer was willing to build the building and donate the land. Unfortunately the post office is a dying service that unless something changes will eventually go away!

[Topspinmo]

(QUOTE) Unfortunately the post office is a dying service that unless something changes will eventually go away![/QUOTE]

IMO the post office like most Federal agencies (and yes I know how federal agencies work) and probably public schools are top heavy with to much management and not enough workers that actually make it work. They cut the people that actually do the job, then they write themselves good performance report "look what I done" now I get pay raise. I feel sorry for the poor sub contractors that have to work for near slave labor while the contractor rakes in the all the profit. That's why the system will fail IMO, cut the heads off the snakes, then the grass will be clean again. But this is the new business model get contract, push if off on some poor smock that's willing to do all the work for survival money.

[graciegirl]

I haven't ever heard one thing about the mail stations not being secure, or a good place to mail a letter. It is hard to accept controversial posts from unknown anonymous posters yet some are chastised for being skeptical?

The next thing is the usual posters, I can smell them revving their engines, will jump on here and chastise me for thinking this is the wonderful place that this place is. I really don't think we need worry about the mail stations, or the honesty of the workers at the mail stations. I don't. Or worry about their pay or the developers profits. They aren't forced to work there and the developer is in business to make money.

All you need do is mail your letter at a post office and you can track it all the way to it's destination.

[Moderator]

Please stay on topic about security at Villages postal stations.

Moderator

[Taltarzac725]

I haven't ever heard one thing about the mail stations not being secure, or a good place to mail a letter. It is hard to accept controversial posts from unknown anonymous posters yet some are chastised for being skeptical?

The next thing is the usual posters, I can smell them revving their engines, will jump on here and chastise me for thinking this is the wonderful place that this place is. I really don't think we need worry about the mail stations, or the honesty of the workers at the mail stations. I don't. Or worry about their pay or the developers profits. They aren't forced to work there and the developer is in business to make money.

All you need do is mail your letter at a post office and you can track it all the way to it's destination.

I may know this OP. Not sure though. My parents were talking about an e-mail going around that originated from the person this happened to and it did I believe name what postal station this was.

And a postal investigator probably checked the destination as well as the postal station it left from to see the most credible culprit.

The lesson I got out of this is that if you are sending any thing with something valuable in it like a gift card send it from a regular post office or a Pack N Ship or something like that. Packing, Shipping, Mailing | The Villages, FL | Village Pack & Ship (http://www.villagepacknship.com/)

[Radioman41]

We are very pleased with the mail service in The Villages. Our service is much better here than we had in Rockville, MD where we had misdelivered, or missing mail on a daily basis. Meetings with the local postmaster would lead to temporary improvements, them back to unreliable service. I could go on and on with problems back North. Again, we are happy with the service, especially the responsiveness of our mail person.

[Polar Bear]

Can't get much less secure than an unlocked box next to the road in front of your house. I'm fine with the mail stations.

If you're mailing sometime valuable, take it to the post office.

[Bogie Shooter]

It is likely the number of cases "solved" were a "drop in a bucket" to what was stolen. Overall, The former Pony Express does a good job.

You would think The Village Developer would have enough "political clout" to get a Village Post Office. We have been one of the fastest growing areas in the nation. The Villages should have an acceptable Post Office.

Oh my.....and where would this PO be located?

[ronsroni]

Asking a postal employee to shuffle through ones personal mail and split between two different boxes is, IMHO, unreasonable; to say nothing of the fact that IT'S NOT HER JOB.
This small task must be done by the recipient. It's only fair. Have a lovely day.

[davefin]

Along a similar line, I sent out a check (early December), the person knew it was coming, and let me know about 3 weeks later it never arrived. It turned up 2 weeks later (January) all torn, in a postal envelope. The person told me it looked like the envelope got caught is a machine. I have had occasional problems with 'thick' envelopes (typically birthday cards) that get jammed or rejected. A few years ago, I had cash disappear on the way to my mother (in assisted living), could never prove or figure out where it disappeared, lesson learned.
Going forward, if I am sending something of value, it usually goes FedEx or UPS with tracking, in a cardboard envelope.

FedEx has same issue when sending cash. I sent cash (although I knew better) via FedEx. The cardboard enveloped arrived and DID NOT appear to have been tampered with. But, cash was missing. somewhere along the route, they had a way of getting envelope xrayed, opened, and resealed.

[Goldwingnut]

So the USPS is not responsible for the handling of the mail at TV postal stations, or security, or anything else it seems.
We can't put a sticker on the mailbox to help quickly locate our own box amongst the hundreds of others and can we can't even clean or paint anything at the mail station because it is "USPS Property".
Just to add insult to injury, we the residents pay for the electricity and maintenance of the postal stations with our annual maintenance assessments. Don't forget, we also just purchased all of the postal stations south of 466 last year as a part of the amenities purchase.
This is like buying a car, paying for the gas, insurance, and maintenance, paying someone to drive it, but you can't put a bumper sticker on it and if the driver wrecks it they immediately say "it's not my fault or responsibility".
How exactly does this double standard work again?

[Bogie Shooter]

I have been in The Villages for 15 years. I have never been unable to find my mail box by looking at the numbers.
Why would I need a sticker??

[biker1]

I am not sure I see your point. If you had your own mailbox in front of your house you would be responsible for maintaining it. No free lunch.

There are actually hundreds of stickers on the mailboxes for my Villages. I personally don't see the need.

So the USPS is not responsible for the handling of the mail at TV postal stations, or security, or anything else it seems.
We can't put a sticker on the mailbox to help quickly locate our own box amongst the hundreds of others and can we can't even clean or paint anything at the mail station because it is "USPS Property".
Just to add insult to injury, we the residents pay for the electricity and maintenance of the postal stations with our annual maintenance assessments. Don't forget, we also just purchased all of the postal stations south of 466 last year as a part of the amenities purchase.
This is like buying a car, paying for the gas, insurance, and maintenance, paying someone to drive it, but you can't put a bumper sticker on it and if the driver wrecks it they immediately say "it's not my fault or responsibility".
How exactly does this double standard work again?

[Kathie]

That happened to me also. The gift card never reached its destination. I think they must feel the envelopes before taking them to the main post office and if it feels like a gift card, in the pocket it goes. Needless to say I was pretty ticked off.

[Bogie Shooter]

That happened to me also. The gift card never reached its destination. I think they must feel the envelopes before taking them to the main post office and if it feels like a gift card, in the pocket it goes. Needless to say I was pretty ticked off.

Who is "they"?
Another accusation not based on any facts.

[Sandtrap328]

So the USPS is not responsible for the handling of the mail at TV postal stations, or security, or anything else it seems.
We can't put a sticker on the mailbox to help quickly locate our own box amongst the hundreds of others and can we can't even clean or paint anything at the mail station because it is "USPS Property".
Just to add insult to injury, we the residents pay for the electricity and maintenance of the postal stations with our annual maintenance assessments.
This is like buying a car, paying for the gas, insurance, and maintenance, paying someone to drive it, but you can't put a bumper sticker on it and if the driver wrecks it they immediately say "it's not my fault or responsibility".


Thank you for paying for the electricity at the postal stations. I needed to recharge my golf cart at one recently. I plugged my charger into one of the outlets at a postal station south of 466 for about an hour and off I went.

Regarding the "no stickers", when I moved here 7 years ago, there was a large picture sticker on the box next to mine. It is still there - along with many other stickers on other boxes. No one has said anything about removing them.

Maybe you just moved into the wrong area of The Villages. North of 466 is great!

[Barefoot]

We can't put a sticker on the mailbox to help quickly locate our own box amongst the hundreds of others and can we can't even clean or paint anything at the mail station because it is "USPS Property".

Put a sticker on your mailbox - hundreds of people do. Worst case, someone removes your sticker.
Best case, you can immediately identify your postal box. It is especially helpful if your mailbox is on the bottom row!

[Sandtrap328]

That happened to me also. The gift card never reached its destination. I think they must feel the envelopes before taking them to the main post office and if it feels like a gift card, in the pocket it goes. Needless to say I was pretty ticked off.

Did you put a stamp on the envelope? "Senior-itis" sometimes strikes. :confused:

[joldnol]

I almost always go to the Wildwood post office or the one in leesburg. I found mailing at the postal centers adds one to three days delivery time.

[joldnol]

Put a sticker on your mailbox - hundreds of people do. Worst case, someone removes your sticker.
Best case, you can immediately identify your postal box. It is especially helpful if your mailbox is on the bottom row!

lol, over 50 % of the boxes in dunedin have stickers (mine included)

[Bogie Shooter]

What do you do when there are duplicate stickers?

[Rosie1950]

Every year I go to the Wildwood Post office at Xmas hardly ever busy, I Send all the envelopes to one address, I'm lucky they all live in CT, and my daughter will distribute them for me. I get a small "if it fits it ships box" cost $6.75 /$50.00 insurance comes with it, I cover the extra value of what's in the box, and it gets there in 3 days. I've never had a problem. When sending cards you should always make copies of the receipts and the card# and phone # to call on the back of the cards so if they are lost or stolen you can call and have them replaced. Lowes told me about that.

[ColdNoMore]

What do you do when there are duplicate stickers?

Ummm, put a different sticker on your own box? :ohdear:

[Bogie Shooter]

Ummm, put a different sticker on your own box? :ohdear:

Ah, stickers, stickers everywhere......so tacky!

[Barefoot]

Ah, stickers, stickers everywhere......so tacky!
Tacky, yes, but it adds personality to the mail station. :evil6:
It's especially helpful if one has a box in the bottom row.

[HimandMe]

After three items went astray, I now take the long drive to the post office.

Once the postal inspector came to my door as a large item never arrived but it did no good, I still never got the item although I had a slip from the post office saying it was I. The parcel delivery compartment at the local boxes.

Yes, they may be low paying jobs but a thief is a thief. Mail theft used to be a serious crime and in. Day when more people order online, security needs to be bumped up not down IMHO.

[JoMar]

Tacky, yes, but it adds personality to the mail station. :evil6:
It's especially helpful if one has a box in the bottom row.

Our box has no stickers, but the one above and below and left and right do so ours is easy to spot....the naked box.

[DonH57]

Our box has no stickers, but the one above and below and left and right do so ours is easy to spot....the naked box.

Same here. Works for us!

[TheDude]

What do you do when there are duplicate stickers?

I am sure you know the area your box is in. if you and someone have the same sticker, then first, you can figure out if you are the top or bottom one, the left or right one, but most important is this...

If someone has the same sticker that you have, then you should meet that person as you seem to think alike and may have something in common.

I wish someone had the same sticker as I do. Great conversation piece.

[ColdNoMore]

Ah, stickers, stickers everywhere......so tacky!

"Tacky," as is so many other things in life (including posts/comments)... being in the eyes of the beholder. :shrug:

[Bogie Shooter]

I am sure you know the area your box is in. if you and someone have the same sticker, then first, you can figure out if you are the top or bottom one, the left or right one, but most important is this...

If someone has the same sticker that you have, then you should meet that person as you seem to think alike and may have something in common.

I wish someone had the same sticker as I do. Great conversation piece.

Or..............just look at the number.:wave:

[Bogie Shooter]

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/mischief-mailboxes-124137/?highlight=mailbox+stickers
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/stickers-removed-our-mailbox-twice-111419/?highlight=mailbox+stickers
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-new-members-forum-115/stickers-mailboxes-39346/?highlight=mailbox+stickers
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/mailbox-sticker-creep-61217/?highlight=mailbox+stickers